Police Chief: Budget May Limit Changes

April 27, 1986|By Patsy V. Pressley of The Sentinel Staff

DELAND — Money -- or the lack of it -- will determine the DeLand Police Department's response to a list of changes recently proposed by the West Volusia Chapter of the NAACP, said Chief Richard Slaughter.

While some of the suggestions, such as a citizens advisory group, can be easily addressed, others such as national accreditation for the police force and a change in firearms could cost thousands of dollars, Slaughter said.

''We could do a lot of things if we had the money,'' said the police chief. ''You'll be able to tell during budget hearings whether we're going to get any more.''

NAACP officials and other members of DeLand's black community attended the city commission meeting Monday, asking for national accreditation for the police department, a moratorium on the state fleeing felon law in DeLand and an examination of existing policies on deadly force.

The group also asked the commission to create a citizens advisory group, require that every officer undergo psychological evaluation and continuous training and to reassign the two white officers involved in the Feb. 25 shooting of a black man to areas outside the black community.

The officers were cleared by a Volusia County grand jury earlier this month and by a police investigation this week.

Slaughter said city officials have already:

-- Completed an internal examination of all of the department's policies, including officers' use of deadly force.

-- Looked into requiring psychiatric examinations for new employees and any officers involved in a shooting.

-- Agreed to meet Monday with members of the black community to discuss the citizens advisory group.

While he is awaiting the results of a psychiatric examination before sending Officers John Provenzano and Mike Wilson back to the streets, Slaughter said he is concerned about limiting the officers to certain areas.

Slaughter added that if officers are responding to calls, there is no guarantee Provenzano or Wilson would not be sent to the black community.

Although the commission questioned whether it could place a moratorium on a state fleeing felon law, Slaughter said he and other members of the Florida Police Chiefs Association agree that the law needs to be changed. Slaughter is president of the organization.

''We really didn't pay that much attention to the fleeing felon law until it happened to us,'' he said. ''In reading over the law, if a 17-year-old kid jumps on a bicycle worth $125, a police officer has the right to take his life.''

But the police chiefs association also wants to make sure that the changes do not restrict officers too much, he said.